Altobelli Family, Who Died in Helicopter With Kobe Bryant, Honored at Memorial

Afghanistan Reconstruction Programs Suffered More Than 5,000 Casualties in 16 Years

More than 5,100 casualties were inflicted among the Americans, Afghans, and allies working on U.S.-funded reconstructions programs in Afghanistan, according to the first-ever official count. “For years, SIGAR has spent considerable effort to track the financial costs of reconstruction and stabilization activities in Afghanistan,” Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) John Sopko told Department of Defense officials in a report made public Tuesday. “However, little effort has been made up to track the human costs—the number of people killed, wounded, or kidnapped—to accomplish these activities. This has left policy makers with an incomplete picture of the true cost of our efforts in Afghanistan,” Sopko said. The U.S. military entered Afghanistan in 2001 after it was learned the radical Islamic Taliban government that then controlled the country had given sanctuary…

ANAHEIM, Calif.—Under the lights at Angel Stadium in Anaheim on Feb. 10, tears rolled down the cheeks of many there to remember the Altobelli family. Laughter rang out too, as friends and family shared memories of funny times and the family’s quirks.

College baseball coach John Altobelli, along with his wife, Keri, and his 14-year-old daughter, Alyssa, died in the helicopter crash that killed nine people altogether near Calabasas, Calif., on Jan. 26.

John and Keri are survived by two children, Lexi, 16, and J.J., 29. At the memorial, J.J. spoke of the support they’ve received since losing their parents and sister.

“The amount of love and support we’ve received these past few weeks has been truly amazing,” J.J. said. “Each text, call, donation, or act of kindness has not gone unnoticed and it really shows the impact that my dad, Keri, and Alyssa had on everyone here.”

Altobelli Family, Who Died in Helicopter With Kobe Bryant, Honored at Memorial

Alyssa was headed to the Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks to play basketball. She was a teammate of Gianna Bryant, who also died in the crash with her father, famed basketball player Kobe Bryant.

Alyssa was remembered as an “always smiling, hard-working, and happy girl.” Sammy Forbath, Alyssa’s best friend and lifelong neighbor, said she would often turn down social plans to keep practicing basketball. She was always outside practicing.

She was a determined point guard with dreams of attending the University of Oregon and becoming a Duck.

“She never stopped,” Forbath said. “Alyssa had the hardest work ethic out of anyone I’ve ever known. She always worked 110 percent even when no one was watching. She was dedicated to the game and always played with purpose.”

Forbath recalled how Alyssa—an avid animal lover, “except for hairless cats”—thought the turtles in their sixth grade science class were being mistreated, so she took them home and kept them as her pets. The crowd let out a soft laugh.

“She had the biggest heart,” Forbath said. “I already miss her so much.”

John Altobelli, known as “Alto,” was a beloved baseball coach for 27 seasons at the Orange Coast College. With four state junior titles under his belt, he was named National Coach of the Year by the American Baseball Coaches Association last year.

“He loved helping his players learn about life off the field,” said family friend and pastor Erik Rees. “Sure, Alto loved to win, but he also loved to teach—and he used every moment to teach his team that the greatest way to define success is by what you give, not by what you get. And that’s what Alto did all the time—give.”

His lifelong friend and rival coach Buck Taylor said he was a “man of high character” and “selfless.”

Taylor shared memories of how they got kicked out of baseball games they were coaching multiple times for getting too riled up. So they would then sit outside the stadium in the parking lot and watch their teams compete against each other online.

Keri, who owned her own business, was endeared as “extremely loyal” by close friends. She always put her family first and supported their athletic endeavors, they said.

“Through her example, she taught me how to live with conviction and how not to fall prey to being the victim, ever,” said Lori Lever, Keri’s best friend of over 30 years.

“There’s one particular instance, or actually probably multiple, when I know I failed Keri and I really let her down,” Lever said. “In spite of that, she was still there for me when I needed her—that’s the thing about friendship—you can laugh, support, fight, and fail each other, yet the love and bond forever stays intact.”

As the memorial came to a close, Rees encouraged attendees to hug the people next to them because “it’s what Alto would do best.”

Kobe and Gianna Bryant’s memorial will be held at the Staples Center on Feb. 24.

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‘I’d Like It to Start Over’: Justice Ginsburg Says Deadline for Equal Rights Amendment Has Passed

As states try to force the United States to adopt the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has weighed in again on the issue, reiterating her position that she thinks the ratification process needs to “start over.” “I would like to see a new beginning. I’d like it to start over,” Ginsburg, who has been a strong advocate for the ERA, said during a talk at Georgetown Law on Monday. “There’s too much controversy about latecomers. Virginia [came] long after the deadline passed. Plus a number of states have withdrawn their ratification. So if you count a latecomer on the plus side, how can you disregard states that said we’ve changed our minds,” she added. The ERA seeks to ban discrimination on the basis of sex, with…